khayo@sonia.math.ucla.edu (Eric Behr) (06/02/88)
The following comes to you courtesy of the NASA SpaceLink BBS, (205) 895 0028, Huntsville, Ala. Call for more info. =================================================================== Tuesday May 31, 1988 SHUTTLE STATUS STS-26 - DISCOVERY (OV-103) - OPF Bay 1 Powered-up vehicle testing is underway today. Payload bay cleaning and orbiter close-outs continue in preparation for rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building and mating with the other components of the STS-26 "stack." The nose landing gear doors are open and technicians are finishing the fine-tuning of adjustments of the thermal barrier. The installation of ordnance for landing gear deployment was completed over the weekend. The payload bay doors remain open and technicians are inspecting the door hinges and associated thermal covers. An inspection is being conducted of the air data probe area of the vehicle. Correction of a potential extension problem could entail the removal and replacement of five tiles. STS-27 - ATLANTIS (OV-104) - OPF Bay 2 No work was conducted over the three-day weekend. The vehicle is being powered up today for testing. STS-28 - COLUMBIA (OV-102) - OMRF Powered-down modification work continues today. This includes checks of thermal blankets to be installed in the midbody, crew escape and electrical modifications in the forward and aft sections of the orbiter. No work was performed over the Memorial Day weekend. STS-26 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS - VAB The mating of the left and right forward assemblies with the solid rocket motors was completed over the weekend. The "corking" (or sealing) of four of the six field joints was also completed and alignment was completed on Monday morning. SRB work is proceeding slightly ahead of schedule and progress may permit mating of the External Tank/SRBs as early as June 8. =================================================================== Wednesday, June 1, 1988 KSC Shuttle Status STS-26 - DISCOVERY (OV-103) - OPF Bay 1 Powered-up vehicle testing continues today. Preparations are in work to close the payload bay doors today to evaluate hinge operation during the cycling operation. The landing gear doors will also be closed today to check adjustments of the thermal barriers and prepare for landing gear functional checks later this week. Also in work are preparations for the removal of five thermal tiles in the vicinity of the air data probe. Access is needed to repair a plate which could affect extension of the air data probe. Orbiter closeouts continue throughout the vehicle in preparation for the move of Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building later this month. STS-27 - ATLANTIS (OV-104) - OPF Bay 2 Atlantis has been powered up for testing. Underway at this time are a number of communications checks and leak checks of the cabin's environmental control loops. STS-28 - COLUMBIA (OV-102) - OMRF Powered-down modification work remains in progress. STS-26 SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS The stacking of left and right solid booster components was completed over the weekend with the mating of the forward assemblies. Final joint closeout work remains in progress. The current schedule calls for mating of the external tank with the SRBs on June 8. =================================================================== Eric